Communication
by TerrierLee
Summary: After returning to the real world, Junpei thinks Kouji and Kouichi should have some brotherly bonding time. Because he's not jealous of them being close. Not at all. That would be silly.


After returning to the real world, it was obvious to those not present during the digital adventure that the six children had changed, if not for the better. Kouichi and Kouji were practically inseparable. Wherever one went, so did the other.

And over all, it was fine. The rest of the group didn't expect anything less now that the two found each other.

So of course Junpei wasn't jealous. That would be silly. It wasn't like they spelled out exactly what was going on with each other in the Digital World. Junpei himself was still unsure where he stood with the younger twin. Besides he could still hang out with Takuya and Izumi. Everything was fine… Kouji just needed some space and time with his brother.

A month passed with no incident, school and family getting in the way of the six hanging out. Not to say they didn't try. If all else failed, they would try and manage a group call. More often than not though, life had its habit of getting in the way.

Another month, and Junpei was getting antsy. True, he and Kouji never made any concrete plans once they all returned home. It didn't help how crazy things got near the end. Once they told Kouichi how they defeated Lucemon, they never brought it up again. But that didn't mean Junpei didn't want to see the other boy. For a while, hanging out with Takuya and the others eased his loneliness…

Junpei knew asking to hang out with the other boy was impossible. Things might have changed since they returned home. Just because they didn't have a chance to talk about their… friendship(?) before they came back didn't mean he wanted to complicate things.

But still… even if they all hung out together, Kouji was nearly always with his brother.

So it was a surprise when his phone rang, the caller ID showing the former warrior of darkness.

He pressed the call button, putting the phone up to his ear, "Hey Kouichi, what's going on?"

There was shuffling on the other end of the line, "Nothing much. Just hanging out, you?"

"Ah," Junpei glanced around his room, he really didn't have anything planned for that day. "Just practicing some magic tricks."

"That's cool," Kouichi's voice rose in order to be heard over the noise in the background, "So listen, I was calling cause I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out wi—" His voice cut out for just a second before he came back, whatever it was in the background suddenly gone, "if you wanted to hang out with Kouji and me."

"What—" the older boy frowned, the request catching him off guard. "What's going on over there?"

"Oh," there was a chuckle, "we're just doing some light cleaning over here, and I was sort of in the way. But what do you say? Kouji and I were gonna go to the local park and we wanted to invite you along."

The frown remained on Junpei's face. He shook his head, but, realizing the other boy couldn't see him, he stopped, "Thanks for the invitation, but I'm sort of busy today."

"It doesn't have to be today. We can always go tomorrow."

"Oh, well," Junpei quickly scanned his room, eyes catching his magic show equipment, "I'm gonna be busy tomorrow too. I'm putting on a show for a kid's birthday party. I don't know when exactly I'll be done and I don't want you guys to wait up for me…"

But Kouichi was persistent, "You can always let us know when you're done and we can meet up."

Junpei let out a sigh, "I don't… I don't think I'll be able to meet up with you guys today or tomorrow. You guys can have plenty of fun without me."

There was a pause, just long enough to make Junpei sweat. "Well, if you're sure…"

"Yep," he winced, feeling really bad about lying to his friends, but he knew how important the twins were to each other, "just have fun tomorrow. We'll hang out one of these days."

But try as they might, every time Kouichi invited Junpei along for one of their get-togethers, the older boy would politely decline, his excuses becoming more and more elaborate.

Kouichi didn't know what exactly was going on, he was aware of how friendly his brother and the other boy were during their time in the digital world. At least, they seemed friendly. He was sure even when they returned to the real world, the two would still hang out. With every rejection Junpei gave them, Kouji's mood seemed to darken and not even getting their unofficial leader involved could lighten him up.

It wasn't uncommon for Kouji to be quiet and not make a sound from his room, but even his parents could tell his current silence was unusual. It was on more than one occasion that Satomi would give the older twin a ring, asking him to come on over and talk to Kouji. It was still weird, going into his brother's house when before he would simply watch it from afar. But if his dad didn't cause a fuss, everything seemed alright.

If only for Kouji…

The older twin made his way through the Minamoto house, knowing exactly where Kouji's room was located. He didn't even bother knocking at this point, giving the door a push so it opened.

His brother was sitting by his desk, his cellphone in hand. No matter how long he stared at the device, it remained silent. He didn't even acknowledge that Kouichi was in his room.

Kouichi walked into the room, crossing the short distance before reaching the other boy, knowing exactly what he was going to do. He grabbed the phone before Kouji should hide it in his pant pocket. The older twin began to go through the contacts, all the while keeping the phone out of his brother's grasp. "Let's see…"

"Kouichi, give me my phone!"

"Huh," Kouichi lowered the mobile device, "That's weird, Junpei's not in here." He gave his brother a look, "Are you sure you have his number?"

Kouji dropped his arms, suddenly all the fight in him gone. "…I have his number."

Kouichi turned his attention back to the phone, once again going through the contact list. When he skimmed it over a second time, he turned back to Kouji, "Who is Jeep?"

If anything, that made Kouji shutter up more. "No one."

Not deterred by this, Kouichi made a face, "You have all these contacts and suddenly there's one called Jeep. I wanna know who this is." He grinned, "If you don't tell me…" He pressed a button, once again keeping the phone out of reach, "I'll just call this person and find out who it is."

"Kouichi no!"

He wasn't fast enough, Kouichi already pressed the call button.

The phone gave two and a half rings before someone answered.

"Kouji?"

"…Junpei?"

"Wha—Kouichi, what are you doing with Kouji's phone?"

"…He calls you Jeep?"

"Wait wh—Kouichi how do you know th—"

Junpei was cut off mid-sentence as Kouji successfully retrieved his cellphone, snapping it shut. He turned away from his brother, clutching the phone tight in his hands. No sooner had he hung up the device did it start to ring again. He didn't dare look at the caller ID, but letting it ring felt like torture. He opened his phone, firmly pressing the "off" button.

Kouichi could only stare as his only brother sank back into his chair, the phone now held loosely in his grip.

"I called him that once."

"Oh."

Kouji let out a sigh, dropping his head back so he looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know what's going on with him. I thought we were… friends. But now he doesn't even want to see me."

Kouichi kneeled down beside him, his brow furrowed, "Well, there must be some reason why he doesn't want to hang out with us…"

"Oh yeah?" Kouji's voice held a hint of sarcasm, "Like what?"

"Well…" The older twin crossed his arms, "…maybe Izumi knows."

* * *

"Wait, are you saying you haven't hung out with them at all?"

Junpei winced at the shrill, "But Izumi-chan…"

"Don't you 'But Izumi-chan' me!" Izumi sat down at the table, reaching over to grab the boy's hands in hers, "Listen Junpei, just because we're back in the real world and Kouji has his brother now doesn't mean he won't want to hang out with you. You guys are friends." She made a face, "I mean, how much time do those two need together anyway? Go, take Kouji somewhere and have fun!"

Junpei took back his hands, pulling a handkerchief out from one of his pockets and twisting it nervously, "And where do you expect us to go? What will we even do?"

The former warrior of wind gave a sigh, "Look Junpei, this is really stupid. You even told me they called you and invited you to hang out with them. So the main question I'm going to ask you is: Why? Why aren't you accepting their invitation? I thought you wanted to hang out with Kouji."

"I do!" Junpei sat up with a start, making Izumi jump in her seat at the sudden action. His eyes were wide and a blush appeared over his cheeks as he leaned forward, the handkerchief in his hand falling to the table as he covered up his face, "I really do but…"

Izumi reached forward, placing her hand on the other boy's shoulder, "But…?"

"Things were different in the Digital World. It was us against the evil guys. And then it turned out one of the evil guys was his brother. _His brother_ , Izumi-chan. And now we're back in our world and things just won't work out here. I know it."

"Junpei…"

"Even if we tried to hang out, it would be awkward. I'm better off spending my time with you, Takuya, or Tomoki."

There was a pause as Izumi pondered on this.

And then reached over and pinched Junpei's cheek.

"OW! Izumi-chan wha—"

She let go, glaring at him as she crossed her arms. He rubbed his sore cheek, a pout clear on his face.

"Alright listen here, Shibayama. You and Kouji need to sit down and talk. You ignoring him is not going to make this any better. He has invited you to hang out. Kouichi has invited you. So either you meet up with them or so help me I'll throttle you so hard you'll wish you were fighting the Royal Knights again!"

* * *

It was a week later that the entire gang was finally able to come together. They met up at the park near Takuya's house. Tomoki immediately had the gang play a round of soccer before he and Takuya began to play a round one on one.

Izumi took a spot by a tree, a picnic basket next to her as she watched the ensuing soccer match. Kouichi sat down next to her, starting up a conversation that the rest of the group couldn't hear.

Junpei lingered by the edge of the clearing, watching Tomoki and Takuya but not really focusing on what they were doing. His mind was so distant that he didn't realize when someone stood next to him.

There was a small cough to his left that shook Junpei from this daze. Jolted from his thoughts, he whipped his head so fast his eyes spun and he had to quickly close his eyes before refocusing on the boy next to him.

"Oh, Kouji, what's up?"

The other boy only shrugged, his hands buried deep in his pant pockets. "Nothing really. What's the score?"

"Huh?" Junpei frowned before looking back at the open field, "Oh, um… I think Takuya's winning?"

"I see…" Kouji looked at the ground, his hands still lost in his pockets.

The older boy nodded as he awkward glanced over, "So… How is Kouichi?"

"Fine."

"Well that's—"

"How was the birthday party?"

"…Huh?"

Kouji fidgeted in place, "Before, when Kouichi called you… You said you had a birthday party to go to…"

With brows furrowed, Junpei reached up and grasped his chin, "Bir-Oh! Oh yeah!" His eyes lit up, "The party was a complete disaster! The kids hated my magic tricks and eventually the clown showed up so they didn't need me anymore. I ended up leaving the… party… early…"

"I see."

Junpei winced at the tone, realizing his mistake a moment too late.

"Listen, Ko—"

"If you don't want to be friends anymore, I get it." Kouji looked up from his spot, his cheeks flaming red, "But don't be an ass and ignore me. Tell me straight out." He took a deep breath, taking his fists out of his pockets, "Don't worry about staying here. You might as well leave. Or I'll leave. I don't care."

He tightened his fists, turning away from the older boy and walking off.

Junpei stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded about what just happened. From where he stood, he heard Kouichi calling after his brother. He didn't bother to look at the retreating twins.

Takuya and Tomoki had ceased their soccer game, watching in worry as they walked the twins leave.

"Junpei, what the hell?"

Izumi ran over to where he was and promptly elbowed him in the stomach. As Junpei doubled over, she glared at him and thrusted her finger in the direction where the twins went. "Go and talk to Kouji. And don't come back until you've made up."

"B-but Izumi-"

"No. No more excuses. You need to talk to Kouji and you need to do it now."

Junpei rubbed his stomach, nodding as he stood up, "A-alright…"

* * *

"Kouji! Kouji, wait up!"

The former warrior of Light abruptly stopped, catching his brother off guard. He beat a fist against his leg, "I just can't believe him!"

Kouichi slowed to a stop, catching his breath as Kouji continued his rant.

"After everything we all went through, and as soon as we're back in the Real World, he just cuts off all contact with us? I mean, who does that?" He whipped around and glared at his older twin, "But he still talks to Izumi! Did you know after you invited him to hang out with us, he met up with Takuya instead? They read manga all night! The ass will hang out with everyone but us! Kouichi, doesn't that piss you off?"

With a deep breath, Kouji lifted a fist, gently tapping it against his forehead, "I just can't believe that guy…"

Kouichi laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Kouji… I'm sure he had a good reason…"

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

At that tone, Kouichi winced, but he didn't let it deter him. "Well…" He turned his head away, pondering over the inner workings of their friend's mind when something caught his eye. A smile slowly formed on his face, "Well, you could always ask him."

"What?" Kouji glanced up, taking notice that his brother was looking in the opposite direction and turned his head to see what caught his attention.

Junpei stood in the middle of the clearing, his face flushed from running. He reached up and rubbed the sweat from his brow, "H-hey guys…" He leaned forward, holding his knees as he took a deep breath, completely missing the shadow that fell over Kouji's eyes.

"Good timing!" Kouichi patted his brother on the shoulder, "Remember what I said, yeah?" He gave a small smile before moving towards the other boy, also giving him a pat on the shoulder, "And Junpei? Next time you hurt my brother, I will definitely come after you."

Junpei looked up in shock while Kouichi gave a sickening sweet smile.

"Have fun you two!" With that, he walked off in the direction of where the remainder of their group was.

Leaving the two boys alone.

Junpei stood up, but not making a move towards the other boy. "Um…"

Kouji turned his head, refusing to look the older boy in the eye. "What?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Junpei shut his eyes, "I'm… I'm sorry for acting like a jerk these past couple of weeks. I was being stupid and… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

There was a chuckle and Junpei risked a peek at the other boy. Kouji was shaking his head, his cheeks flushed red with anger.

"You can't just ignore me, and Kouichi, for weeks, and then just apologize like it's nothing. Hell, you even lied about having things to do! I talked to Takuya, since you said you had something to do, and he said you hung out all night reading manga. As if you thought I—we—wouldn't find out! Takuya told me you called and suggested you hang out. Yet when Kouichi asked you, you lied! Friends don't lie to each other!"

"I… I know that…"

Kouji finally looked at him, his eyes fierce as started moving until he was right in front of the other boy. He lifted a fist, and Junpei shut his eyes again, bracing for the impact.

The fist gently pressed against his chest, then he felt a tug on his collar before he was pulled forward and something firm hit his lips. He opened his eyes, finding Kouji's face extremely close, the other boy's eyes closed, his cheeks burning enough that he could feel the heat off of them.

Kouji moved back, releasing the collar to Junpei's jumpsuit, and he turned away once more. He folded his arms across his chest, focusing on the ground, "I know we never talked about… us… when we were in the digital world. But I never thought you would act like nothing happened." He took a deep breath, "So… I mean… I thought…" Dropping his arms, Kouji stood awkwardly, still looking at the ground. He gave a shrug, "Yeah."

Junpei took a step forward, "Listen Kouji…" He shook his head, "I didn't mean to ignore you. I know it came off that way but…" He lifted a hand, hesitating for a second before placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder, "I only thought that you and Kouichi would appreciate some brotherly bonding time." He gave Kouji's shoulder a small squeeze, "I mean, you spent eleven years thinking you're an only child and then while you're stuck in a different world you find out you have a twin brother? I can't even imagine how you must feel, and after our journey ended, I thought… you two needed some time."

"So…" Kouji glanced back at the other boy, "That's your reason?"

With a sheepish smile, Junpei gave a halfhearted shrug, "Will you forgive me?"

Kouji let out a small huff, letting the other boy catch a glimpse of a small smile, "…I'll have to think about it."

A grin broke out on Junpei's face and he released Kouji's shoulder, only to envelope the other boy in a hug from behind. "How about we ditch everyone and go off to have some fun?"

The only thing he got in response was a laugh.

* * *

"Hey Kouichi?"

"Izumi! How's everything?"

"Alright, hey, is Junpei there with you guys? I finished this one manga he recommended but I can't reach him on his phone."

"He's not here, come to think of it, Kouji said they were meeting up today."

"Of course! You're not feeling lonely over there, are you Kimura?"

"Haha, no way. I was about to call you and see if you wanted to hang out. You still have that manga, right? Junpei said I could read it next."

"Sure, let's meet up at our usual hang out spot."

"You got it! See ya!"

* * *

Author's Note: So explanation time. In episode 24 of the Frontier dub, after Junpei finishes fighting his shadow and his friends show up, they all come running over to him and Kouji yells out "Hey Jeep, you okay?" to which Junpei responds with "Did Kouji just call me Jeep?" and Kouji says "Yeah, but don't go telling anyone." and I thought that was so incredibly precious so I added that here because it's cute. Thank you dub.


End file.
